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Untouchable
Untouchables, also known as blanks, pariahs and psychic nulls, are individuals who have no warp signature. They are not psykers, in fact they are completely the opposite. Their presence frequently acts as a damper on psychic activity, lessening or even completely halting its effects. Untouchables, like psykers, actually have different grades of “ability”, though few savants have actually been able to study them closely due to their extreme rarity. Their strange aura makes most folk uncomfortable around them, and for this reason they are often loners, outcasts and pariahs. Of all Imperial institutions, the Inquisition makes the greatest use of Untouchables. 'The Untouchable and the Profane' An untouchable (thanks to his special nature) is spared some of both the perils of interaction with the Warp and some of its potential powers and benefits. An untouchable may not for example, under any normal circumstances enter into a Dark Pact with a warp entity or receive the benefits of beneficial psychic powers, sorcery or true faith. They may not learn sorcery or take any talents associated with it and may not have faith talents. A force weapon, daemon weapon, or occult artefact (or the like) in the hands of an untouchable is merely a weapon or object of its type. The untouchable may not unleash or benefit from any of the weapon’s special powers or abilities, or (in the case of a daemon weapon) master it. However, the same also applies to such items and weapons used against the untouchable. Other than base damage listed (a sword in the guts is still a sword in the guts after all) any other particular effect such a weapon would normally have on the untouchable is likewise ignored. Because of their unique place in the universe of Dark Heresy, untouchables in games may bring up odd questions about their nature in the rules and options such characters may take. In all cases it is up to the GM’s own good sense and judgment to decide how they are handled. 'Background Package' Career: Any Career, but you may not possess a Psy Rating. Special: May have no other package, talent, trait or similar that grants psychic, faith or warp-based powers or abilities, both during creation or later development. Cost: 400 XP Effects: Apply all of the following changes to your character: Characteristics: The character’s starting Fellowship Characteristic is reduced by 10 (if the character’s Fellowship is 10 or less already, it is reduced to 1) but may later be increased as normal. Unsettling Presence: An untouchable suffers a –10 penalty to all Interaction Skill Tests. Psychic Blank: The character may never gain Psychic Powers, Pure Faith, Sorcery or related Talents. Psychic Invulnerability: An untouchable is completely immune to Psychic Powers, psychic energy and effects directed against them (as well as warp powers, possession, sorcery, Corruption from warp shock, and so forth) Also, he cannot be detected by means of Psyniscience, Sense Presence, or similar abilities---powers of this type directed at their person, even though successfully manifested, simply fail. Powers in whose wider areas he is caught simply fail to affect him—although they may affect other people normally, subject to their disruption effect. Psychic Disruption: All Psychic Powers and abilities manifested in the character’s immediate area (a radius equal to the Untouchable’s Willpower Bonus in meters) have their Threshold increased by 10, plus any associated Test by the psyker (such as Willpower Tests) have their Difficulty increased by –20. Additionally, entities subject to Warp Instability will suffer double Damage from its effects while in this area. Note: It may still be possible to indirectly affect an untouchable with a Psychic Power—for example, a boulder telekinetically dropped from a great height on an untouchable will still flatten them. This is left entirely left to the discretion of the GM.